If you got a severe disability payment (SDP) in the month before you applied for Universal Credit

You should get extra money called ‘transitional payments’ if you were getting an SDP with:

income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)

income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

Income Support

If you’re not sure if you were getting an SDP, check your benefits letters.

The DWP is contacting people to check if they should get transitional payments - you don’t have to do anything.

You might get transitional payments more quickly if you tell the DWP you think you should get them. You can add a note to your online account saying you were getting an SDP and you think you should get transitional payments.

1. Look up your standard amount

Your standard amount depends on your age and if you live with your partner. If you live with your partner you'll have a joint claim and get one shared payment.

Your circumstances

Standard amount

Single and under 25

£251.77

Single and 25 or over

£317.82

Joint claim, both under 25

£395.20

Joint claim, one or both 25 or over

£498.89

When you turn 25 you'll get the increase in your next Universal Credit payment.

2. Work out what other amounts you can get

You can have extra amounts added to your Universal Credit payment for:

housing

children

childcare

caring for someone

not being able to work because of sickness or disability

These extra amounts are called 'elements', and you can get more than 1 of them. They're added to your standard amount.

If you're paying rent, mortgage or service charge

The housing costs element might pay some or all of your rent or service charge.

To get the housing element you need to

live in Great Britain

pay the housing costs for where you live

If you’re a private tenant the amount you’ll get will depend on your income, how many people you live with and the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate for your area. This is the average cost of rent for where you live. You won’t be paid more than your LHA rate.

Getting more help with housing costs

You might be able to get a extra money from the council if you're behind on your payments or your housing element doesn't cover all your rent.

If you have children

You'll get the child element if you're responsible for a child who normally lives with you. You'll get extra amounts for a second child and for any other child who was born before 6 April 2017. You won’t get extra money for a third child born on or after 6 April 2017.

If any of your children are disabled and getting Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP) you might also get extra money for them.

A child is anyone under 16, or someone under 20 who's in full-time, non-advanced education, for example at school or college.

Your circumstances

Child element

Your oldest child, if born before 6 April 2017

£277.08

Your oldest child, if born on or after 6 April 2017

£231.67

Your second child - and each eligible child after that

£231.67

If one of your children is disabled

£126.11

If one of your children is severely disabled

£392.08

Getting a payment for 3 or more children

You'll usually only get a Universal Credit payment for 3 or more children if they were born before 6 April 2017.

There are some exceptions - you might still get a payment for 3 or more children if:

your third or later child is disabled - they must get Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or be certified blind

you have a multiple birth - if you have other children born before 6 April 2017 you won't get a payment for the first child in a multiple birth

you've adopted a child from the UK (unless you were the child's step-parent immediately before adopting them)

you're caring for someone else's child in a formal care arrangement

you’re caring for someone else’s child in an informal care arrangement where otherwise they’d be in care

Calls to this number are free. It’s best to call from the phone number you gave the DWP when you set up your Universal Credit account. You'll have a shorter wait and be put through to the same person who handled previous calls you've made.

You have until a month after your next Universal Credit payment to report each childcare payment.

If you report your childcare costs late, tell the Jobcentre why you couldn't report them on time - for example if you were ill or away from home. You'll still be paid if they agree you couldn't tell them earlier.

If you and your partner are both sick or disabled you’ll only get 1 extra payment.

Unless you have a joint claim, you can't get the element for sickness or disability and the carer element- you’ll get whichever is higher.

If you have a joint claim you can get both the element for sickness or disability and the carer element but only if you’re eligible for one and your partner is eligible for the other. For example, you’ll get both elements if you’re eligible for the sick or disability element and your partner is eligible for the carer element.

How much you'll get

If you have LCWRA you'll get an extra £336.20 a month, and the DWP won't set a maximum amount for what you can get in benefits - called the 'Benefit Cap'.

You won't normally get extra money if you have LCW. The exception is that you'll get an extra £126.11 if you've been sick since before 3 April 2017 and the DWP have already said you have LCW. This could have been for Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance.

When you'll get the extra amount

The extra amount will start in your next Universal Credit payment if you already had LCW or LCWRA from a previous benefit claim.

Otherwise you'll get the extra payment from 3 months after the DWP agree you have LCWRA. If it takes longer the DWP will backdate your payment so you don't lose out.

If you're a carer

You'll get an extra £160.20 a month if you look after a severely disabled person for at least 35 hours a week.

It's worth telling the person you look after about your claim - they could lose some of their benefits if you get the extra amount.

Constant Attendance Allowance paid with a war disablement pension or industrial injuries benefits

Armed Forces Independence Payment

If you already get Carer’s Allowance you can still get the carer element. Your Carer’s Allowance will count as ‘unearned income.’ This means your Universal Credit payments will be reduced by the amount of Carer’s Allowance you get.

It's worth getting Carer's Allowance as well as Universal Credit. Carer's Allowance is paid more often than Universal Credit, and if your Universal Credit payments are stopped, you'll still get your Carer's Allowance payment.

Unless you have a joint claim, you can't get the carer element and the element for sickness or disability - you’ll get whichever is higher.

If you have a joint claim you can get both the carer element and the element for sickness or disability but only if you’re eligible for one and your partner is eligible for the other. For example, you’ll get both elements if you’re eligible for the carer element and your partner is eligible for the sick or disability element.

If you have a joint claim and you and your partner care for different people, you'll get 2 carer elements.

If someone else is caring for the same person as you for at least 35 hours a week, you can't both get benefits for caring for them. Only one of you can get Carer's Allowance or the carer element.

3. Make reductions for your income and capital

You'll get less Universal Credit if you get money from work or other sources, or if you have more than £6,000 in savings.

Work out if your capital makes a difference

If you have more than £6,000 of capital it will reduce your Universal Credit payment. The DWP will take off £4.35 a month for each £250 (or part of £250) of capital above £6,000.

You'll no longer be eligible for Universal Credit if you have £16,000 or more in capital.

Capital includes things like savings, interest, property and shares. It doesn't include:

personal possessions

business assets

your home, if you own it

Example

Niamh has £7,700 in savings. This is £1,700 over £6,000 - which is 6 full lots of £250 and one partial £250. This means the her savings reduce her Universal Credit by 7 x £4.35 = £30.45

Take away some other types of income

Your Universal Credit will be reduced by the same amount you get from certain types of income. These include:

pensions or annuities

maintenance from a current or former partner (though not child maintenance - this never reduces your Universal Credit)

insurance payments

some benefits, such as Carer's Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Maternity Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance and Jobseeker's Allowance

You don't need to take off income from some benefits, including:

Child Benefit

Disability Living Allowance

Personal Independence Payment

war pensions

If your income and capital reduce your payment to zero

This will end your Universal Credit claim - the Jobcentre will tell you if this happens.

You'll need to make a new claim if your earnings later drop and you want to get Universal Credit again. You can do this by signing back into your online account. If you don't have a Universal Credit account you might need to claim other benefits instead - check if you're eligible for Universal Credit.

4. Take off sanctions and other reductions

The DWP might take money off your Universal Credit payments for:

money the DWP have given you early, such as an advance payment or budgeting advance